INDEPENDENCE DAY

“My Nation is my pride and I am proud to be an Indian”. To commemorate the freedom of this great Nation, Fr. Agnel Central School, Pilar celebrated the Nation’s 72nd Independence Day with patriotic zeal and fervour.

The celebrations began in the school premises with the unfurling of the National Flag by the Principal, Rev. Fr. Roncy Braganza followed by the saluting of the National Flag and singing of the National Anthem. Students then took the pledge and prayed for the well being of the nation.

This was followed by a short cultural programme where students of Class VI stirred our feelings of patriotism by singing the song ‘Saare jahaan se aacha’. Students of Class VII performed 2 dances a classical dance piece to the tunes of Vande Mataram and a dance performance ‘Maa tujhe salaam’ and showed their love and appreciation for their motherland.

Master Ankit Khalkho from Class VIII and Miss Chloe Correia from Class VI highlighted the achievements of India in the past 72 years through their speech and urged their fellow students to do their bit to make our country a beautiful place to live in. Tr. Sulena, brought out the importance of this day through her speech. She told the students about the supreme sacrifice of the great martyrs who gave their lives for the sake of freedom. She also said that the freedom was very precious and it was necessary to preserve it.

The Principal in his messaged thanked God for blessing us with such a wonderful Nation and to appreciate the uniqueness and natural abundance of our country. He advised the students to be an instrument of peace and work to make our country a developed nation.

The Programme was beautifully compared by Master Zane D’souza and Miss Joven Barreto of Class VI. The programme concluded with the Vote of Thanks proposed by Tr. Shikha Benedict.

ENGLISH DAY

English Day was organized in school on 4th August 2018. There were four House-wise Competitions held for the students of Class I to IX. The Competitions were as follows:

Class I & II - Poetry Recitation Competition

Class III & IV - Spelling Bee Competition

Class V, VI &VII - Mind Your Language

Class VIII & IX - Elocution Competition.

Two students from each house were chosen based on a written selection round for Spelling Bee and Mind Your Language and an oral selection round was conducted for the Poetry Recitation and Elocution Competition.

The programme for the Seniors, that is, Class V to VII began at 10.45 am. The first event to be conducted was Mind Your Language. This included 5 Quizzing Rounds of questions from the world of English. This was followed by the Elocution Competition for Classes VIII & IX. Students had to pick any one topic from the choice that was given to them in advance.

The Junior Category began with the Spelling Bee Competition in the Old Hall which was a team event. This was followed by the Poetry Recitation Competition which included individual performances by students from Classes I & II. Students were dressed in costumes which added colour to their performances.

The Judges for Poetry Recitation and Elocution Competition were Mrs. Bharati Doshi, a Teacher from Lok Chetna School and Ms. Astrid Gomes, a teacher from Fr. Agnel Higher Secondary School.

The students enthusiastically participated in Mind Your Language and the Spelling Bee Competition as they fought to secure maximum marks for their respective houses. The students were also well prepared in the Elocution Competition and voiced out their opinion on topics that were relevant in today’s society. The Poetry Recitation Competition saw children putting in their best with costumes that complemented their performance.

Overall the programme was a success as it gave students an opportunity to showcase their talent and knowledge in different group and individual competitions conducted. The programme ended at 12.30 pm.

SPARKLES 2018

The School participated in ‘Sparkles’ a one-day inter school science and cultural event, organised by Fr. Agnel High School, Pilar, on the 28th July 2018 from 9.00 am. to 1.45 pm.A team of 12 students who were proficient in art, drama, dance, quizzing and witha scientific temper represented the school.The event began with the lighting of the lamp followed by a prayer dance and words of welcome. A talk on ‘Ill effects of soft drinks’ was presented. This was followed by the students participants and competing in Off- stage events, i.e. Toys of Experimenting, Beautiful Mess, Soap carving and Enchanting Adornments andOn stage events which were X’pose, Nature on the Ramp, Football Quiz Mania & Beats in Motions.

We are proud and happy to state that our students excelled.

They won the

1st Place - in Joys of Experimenting and Football Quiz Mania

2nd Place- in Beats in Motion, Nature on the Ramp and Beautiful Mess

3rd Place - in Exposé

4th Place - in Enchanting Adornments and

5th Place- in Soap Carving.

We were the proud recipients of the Sparkles Runners-Up Trophy.

TALENT EXTRAVAGANZA

‘Talent Extravaganza’ a two day Talent and Cultural Event was organized at Fr. Agnel Central School, Pilar. Every student had to participate in one ON-STAGE and OFF-STAGE activity, with theobjective to give everystudent the opportunity to showcase and exhibit their innovative, creative and artistic potentials in different activities, to work as a team by sharing and accepting ideas & complementing each other to produce something more spectacular andto be good orators and presenters.

While the Juniors presented their On-stage activities the Seniors were busy with Off-Stage activities and vice versa. It was not just the stage and the hall, but every classroom and corridor was a hub of activities.

Day – 1: (26th July 2018)

Kicked off with On-stage events for students of Class I to V (Junior Category) who participated in various competitions like Singing (Duet / Solo), Dance (Duet / Solo) and Mimicry. The Off-Stage events were held simultaneously for the Senior’s students from Class VI to IX. The competitions in the Off-Stage included Wealth out of Waste, Photo Frame Making, Bottle Painting & Decorating, Street Food & Tee-Shirt Painting. At the end of a one and half hour time period beautiful artworks were displayed while some lip-smacking food items were also prepared by the budding chefs of Fr. Agnel Central School.

The Second half of the day began with On-stage events for the Seniors where students had an opportunity to display their talents in competitions such as Singing (Solo & Duet), Dance (Solo & Duet), Monologue, Mono Acting & Instrumental. Simultaneously the Juniors participated in their Off-Stage events which included Wall Hanging, Wealth Out of Waste, Button Art, Stick Figures, Hand Fan Making & Jewellery Making.

The Judges for the On-stage events included some noted names in the Field of Music, Fr. Domnic Alvares, Manager of Pilar Music School, Pilar & The Writer of a book named 125 Kantaram & Mr. Blasio Pinto, Lead Singer of one of Goa’s top most bands Sky High and Goa’s Rock Band Bad Blood.

Housewise Competition for the Juniors and Seniors of all 4 Houses i.e. Red, Green, Yellow and Blue were held. The competitions for the Junior Category included Fusion Dance and Folk Song and the Seniors Category included Fusion Dance and Fashion Show based on the theme ‘Elements of Nature’. The same were judged by Rev. Fr. Domnic Alvares and Rev. Fr. Peter Fernandes, Moderator of All India Mission Seminary, Pilar.

The responsibility to choose and train the teams for the competitions was given to the House Captains. The House Captains with the help of their House Teachers enthusiastically and seriously shouldered their responsibility.

Their dances showcased their extraordinary skill and their interest in different forms of folk dances. All the Groups showed great team spirit. The event was vibrant, educative, enjoyable and successful.

VAN MAHOTSAV

VAN MAHOTSAV, the Festival of Trees, is celebrated every year in the country in a bid to raise awareness about the importance of trees and encourage people to plant moreof them. Fr. Agnel Central School, Pilar - Goa Celebrated “Van- Mahotsav” on the 7th July 2018, with the theme “Love Trees”. The Chief Guest for the day was Fr. Tony Fernandes, sfx. Vice Postulator Cause of Fr. Agnelo.

The programme began with the Chief Guest, Fr. Tony Fernandes, sfx.and Principal Fr. Roncy Braganza, sfx. planting a sapling of a fruit bearing and ornamental plant in the presence of Mr. Skoda Cotta PTA Executive Committee Member, Teachers and Student representatives of all classes. This was followed by a programme in the School Hall.

At the outset Miss Amberly Dias welcomed the Chief Guest and he was presented potted plant as a token of love and appreciation, she spoke on the importance of VAN MAHOTSAV. A mime based on the topic ‘Save and Love Trees’ was enacted by the students.

“Beat Plastic Pollution” is the theme for the year 2018 by the United Nation Environment program. Based on the theme a debate on “Should Plastic Be Banned” was conducted. It was moderated by Tr. Sweta D’souza which educated and enlighten the students on the need to curb the use of plastic.

Speaking on the occasion the Chief Guest, Fr. Tony Fernandes, sfx. stated that the theme “Love Trees” was apt as it showed that our life depends on trees and that we have a duty to grow, protect trees and keep our environment clean. He further said that the occasion reminded of his school days and lauded the Principal, Staff and Students for the wonderful programme put up to commemorate this day. He urged the students to go home and plant at least one tree in their garden or backyard.

Principal Fr. Roncy Braganza, thanked the guests and the committee members and appreciated the programme. Students Robin Vinu and Andrea Cardozo compared the programme and Tr. Shirley Botelho proposed the vote of thanks.

INTER HOUSE FOOTBALL

The Inter House Football Tournamentwas held on 9th June 2018 & finals were played on 23rd June 2018. It was a happy coincidence that while the whole world was crazy on FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia, Fr. Agnel Central School battled it out for Inter House Football Tournament. To keep the World Cup fever going the four houses were named after the countries participating in the World Cup 2018.

The teams were as follows:

Boys Category :

Blue House - Germany

Green House - Spain

Red House- England

Yellow House - Portugal

Girls Category :

Blue House - Brazil

Green House - France

Red House - Argentina

Yellow House - Russia

The teams performed some neat touches, some intelligent positioning, very impressive speed and magnificent team efforts. Luckily the rain held off until the final whistle had blown.In the Boys Category Yellow House emerged as the Winners and the Blue House had to settle for Runners Up position. In Girls Category, Green House emerged as the Winners and the Blue House was Runners Up.

PTA GENERAL BODY MEETING

The PTA General Body Meeting was held on 9th June 2018 at 8.15. am. The attendance of parents was excellent and gratifying. The meeting began with a prayer and hymn asking for God’s Blessing that we may work together for the good of the institution.Principal, Rev. Fr. Roncy Braganza, sfx. welcomed the parents and then introduced the guest speaker for the day, Rev. Fr. Kenneth Teles, Director of Family Service Cell. Fr. Kenneth Teles, gave a presentation on ‘Parenting in Digital Age’ through a PPT.Fr. Roncy introduced the new school manager Rev. Fr. Milton Rodrigues, sfx. and the school counsellor Rev. Dr. Fr. Elvis Fernandes, sfx. to the parents.The minutes of the meeting was then read and passed. The agenda of the day wastaken up in which Principal, Fr. Roncy highlighted the programme for the year andimportant activities during the year. He also gave instructions on Open Day, Saturday Activities, dress code and traffic arrangements. The meeting was interactive and fruitful and ended on a benevolent note.The meeting ended at 10.30 am.

The resource person for the day was Ms. Manisha Bhaskar, an educationist and a corporate trainer. She has 21 years of teaching experience across the SSC, CBSE and IB boards where she has taught English, Science, Economics and Social studies from KG to Class 12. She has also taught French and Business Communication to the students at under graduate colleges.

Manisha is a certified Business English trainer from British Council, a certified English and Soft skill trainer from British connections and also a teacher trainer. She has designed special programs in English Communication with Personality Development for KG to PG, Campus to Corporate, for college students and Soft Skill and Personality Development training programs for the corporate. She is currently working for Ratna Sagar Publications as a Marketing Editor. She possesses expertise in curriculum design, pedagogical know how, assessments, reporting and implementation of the content in structured and communicative classrooms.

The workshop enlightened teachers on various teaching strategies, activities and group work that could be used in classes to enhance the learning and teaching process.

At the outset the resource person Ms. Manisha made the teachers aware of the days activities followed by a game to get the attention of participants, eg. those who hear my voice snap fingers/ hold your ear/ stamp your feet, etc. She added that this could be used at the beginning of a class or when changing an activity, eg. reading, writing, etc.

She then stated that every learning class should always begin with a recap of the content taught in previous classes. This was followed by an interactive session in which teachers were given a hands on experience of various activities that could be used in everyday and every subject in the classroom.

The following were some of the activities executed :

1. Pair Work – A runner and a writer.

The reader reads a script and the writer has to write the same from the memory

2. Tea Party

Consits of two members who discuss a topic through a series of questions on the same.

3. Freeze Frame

A picture is given to each group eg. germination of a seed an the members have to build a two minute story and enact it. It should end depicting the picture in a freeze position.

4. Group Work

The class can be divided into groups and given a sub topic. Each group should have a leader and a secretary. The leader sees that and explains his/her views to the questions and at the end the secretary of each group will then report on the group discussion. This helps learning to take place in the group where each one teaches the other. The topic is also learnt and teaching facilitated without the help of the teacher.

The teachers were given a hands on training on how to conduct these strategies and activities through individual and group work. This was supported by DVD’s given to the school, to help teachers in teaching certain topics. The workshop proved to be beneficial and enlightening.

The resource person was lively, knowledgeable and focused.

INTER HOUSE TENNIKOIT

INTER HOUSE TENNIKOIT COMPETITION REPORT

The first sports event for the Academic Year 2018-19 was Inter House Tennikoit Competition. It was held on 28th April 2018. The fixture for the Inter House Tennikoit Competition were done on lot system the lots were picked by the Captain of four Houses. The competition was held in two categories – Boys and Girls. We noticed some neat catching, impressive tactics and intelligent game plans. The students showed great enthusiasm and zeal for healthy competition. In the Boys Category Green House emerged as the Winners and the Red House had to settle for Runners Up position. In Girls Category, Yellow House emerged as the Winners and the Blue House was Runners Up.

INVESTITURE CEREMONY

The Investiture Ceremony of our School Parliament and Captains of four houses was held on 20th April 2018. The day began invoking God’s blessings on the New Academic Year and the leaders who would be installed that day. This was followed by the Investiture Ceremony. Elections had been held earlier, wherein the leaders had introduced themselves and appealed for a vote at the assembly. The students of Class V to IX then voted by secret ballot system.

The School Parliament were as follows :

1.Prime Minister - Hayden Gracias

2.Deputy Prime Minister - Amberly Dias

3.Cleanliness Minister - Sarah Pereira

4.Language Minister - Marissa Novais

5.Health minister - Riya Pai

6.Cultural Minister - Rizwal Pereira

7.Finance Minister - Gale Cotta

8.Discipline Minister - Delilah Rodrigues

9.Sport Minister - Aryan Uscoiker

10.Opposition Leader - Jayden Fernandes

The House Captains and Vice-Captains were as follows :

1.Blue House

- Captain - Billjoy Figueired

- Vice Captain - Vanessa Almeida

2.Green House

- Captain - Judith Esteves

- Vice Captain - Rayzel Gracias

3.Red House

- Captain - Aurick Pereira

- Vice Captain - Analee D’Silva

4.Yellow House

- Captain - Cyrus Mesquita

- Vice Captain - Eber Rodrigues

The ceremony started in a solemn manner with the School Council and the Four Houses Captains and Vice Captains marching to the dais. The Oath to Office was administered by the Principal, Fr. Roncy Braganza and they were given their badges, House bands & Flags. The Prime Minister, Hayden Gracias on behalf of the newly appointed Council asked for God’s blessing through a prayer and all the leaders then sang the hymn, “We shall overcome”. This was followed by Deputy Prime Minister Amberly Dias promising that she and the new leaders would diligently and sincerely carry out the duties and responsibilities entrusted to them. The Principal Fr. Roncy Braganza gave a special message on the occasion. The National Anthem was then sung. The programme was compeered by Joel Esteves and Abigail Dias from Class IX and the Vote of Thanks was proposed by Mrs. Melissa D’Souza.

INNAUGURAL MASS

The Inaugural Mass invoking God’s blessings on the New Academic Year was held on 06th April 2018.The main celebrant was Rev Fr. Kyriel D’ Souza, sfx. The theme for the mass was “New Heart Create in Us”.

Fr. Kyriel in his homily exhorted the students to give their best in the service of the Lord and build themselves to be good students and human beings. He added that it was during his tenure as Provincial Superior of Goa Province that the school was established and so it had a special place in his heart and prayers. He also congratulated and prayed for God’s Blessing on the Principal, teachers, staff and students to fulfill the goals and aims with which the school was begun.

The melodious choir led by Sir. Jesus helped to make the mass more meaningful. Trs. Martha & Prerana took lot of pains to prepare the liturgy for the day and the students.

TEACHERS ORIENTATION

REPORT ON TEACHER’S ORIENTATION

Teacher’ Orientation was held before the beginning of the Academic year 2018-19 on 4 th April

2018 in Fr. Agnel Central School at 09.00 am.

The resource person was Rev. Dr. Allan Tavares.

Rev. Dr. Allan Tavares began the talk by saying “Don’t think that intelligence is based on good

memory, it’s on repetition”. He spoke on the importance of helping the students to have a good

memory. He stated that it is like ‘Sharpen the Saw’ which needs planning and continuous

improvement.

‘Sharpen the Saw’ embodies self renewal, self-care and self improvement. He said that the

journey we make is from dependence to independence and then move to interdependence.

He explained the four levels of ‘Sharpening the saw’ of the students by giving various

examples.

1. Physical : Exercising and resting.

2. Social / Emotional : Making social and meaningful connections with others.

3. Mental : Learning, reading, writing, and teaching.

4. Spiritual : Spending time in nature and expanding spiritual self through

meditation, music, art, prayer & service.

As we renew ourselves in each of the four areas, we create growth and change in our life.

‘Sharpen the Saw’ keeps us fresh so we can continue to practice the other six effective habits.

We increase our capacity to produce and handle the challenges around us. Without this

renewal, the body becomes weak, the mind mechanical, the emotions raw, the spirit